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What the hell is wrong with Apple product reviews on this site. This garbage review is littered with positive adjectives for the iPad. Justifications are made to convince us that Apple is indeed doing something is "needed" and that we should want. Please spare us your excitement for the product and your continued Apple faboy-ism and TRY to keep the technology review in perspective.

Just a few points,
1. While there are no great tablet laptops out there due to the lack of a good graphics card, they do work good as a tablet PC. In fact, Windows 7 will boost the speed of most of them in addition to handling the graphics a little better.

2. If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not on this, Anand was a big supporter of Netbooks advocating their place and for consumers to buy and buy. In almost every single Anand netbook review I have had to constantly say "A netbook should not cost more than $399 or else you can get a laptop instead." So now that iPAD is out, we don't need netbooks because their SSD is too costly compared to the measly flash memory?

Screw it, I'm just going to go all out and cite quotations to refute from the review. This sht has to stop Anand!

“Microsoft, Intel and Apple have all taught me one very important lesson over the past 13 years: if you’re going after a new usage model, you need new technology to tackle it.”

So all the rave about netbooks and other devices count for squat in your view, although reviews here say otherwise. And iPad is the answer you’re seeking to be making this kind of statement? And oversize iPod? Really?

“These aren’t notebook replacements, they are a new category of device designed for a different usage model. The one thing they’ve all been missing is the perfect combination of hardware and software to deliver the whole package.”

What is it that you actually want that smartphones, portable laptops, netbook, tablets don’t already offer that CAN read, run app, plus a host of other tasks? If you want something that does less and looks new, I can design you one running AmigaOS, because you know…we all like multitasking. We ARE talking about web surfing, emails, reading books and not intensive CPU/graphic tasks.

“Far more often we see Apple perfecting a particular device rather than diving head first into a new market segment.”

I don’t mind that you love what Apple products does and I can’t say I blame you entirely. But the use of “perfection” should be reserve or rather use sparingly in a review. The iPad is not a perfection of anything.. In retrospect, products can and will always be improved upon hence perfection is a hopeless statement. And if improving upon your own products garners perfection as you so eloquently used here, they why don’t we see that same comments from other products, especially those that have actually made leaps and bounds in terms of improvements?

“Today my issue with the iPhone (and netbooks for that matter) is that they are very limited when it comes to productivity. I don’t have a good solution if I need the performance, usability and capabilities of my notebook, but want something lighter to carry around with me. You could always get a CULV notebook or from Apple something like the MacBook Air, but that’s still a notebook. There is no perfect blend of notebook functionality with smartphone portability. If the iPad can achieve that, at least in the same manner that the iPhone did for smartphones, then I will consider it worth the hype.”

I’m actually in the same boat as you for finding that perfect blend. I want a ultra-ultra light, durable, nice looking, powerful in all processing functions, and that can transform itself from a tiny cube, which fits in my pocket, into a ultra-ultra thin, flexible, and highly visible screen view from all direction, including from 100 miles away AND recharges itself with little or not light source but on dark energy.

Until that happens, the choices you’ve outline will suit your need whether you like it light, PC based for the functions, tablet, smartphones, PMP, etc. A pound more is not going to kill you. half and inch thicker is not going to kill you. Half a second longer in whatever task is not going to kill you.

Therefore, the iPAD is not going to solve your needs nor mind and you know this. There isn’t anything revolutionary new technically. It is a preference and an assumption, and excitement, on your part that drives you to make such bais statements. IMO of course.

“It remains to be seen whether or not it’s actually comfortable to hold a 1.5 lbs tablet while you type on it. Although Apple has a couple of accessories that look to address that issue:”

This is just a stupid statement. Nothing to it. You are questioning whether the 1.5lbs tablet would be comfortable and yet claim Apple will address that with accessories. Firstly, that would add more weight. Secondly, more space. And finally, from the four images used does it look like it would be comfortable? Again, base on your comment of being able to hold it comfortably while you type. I stress HOLD and COMFORT here.

“We need things like Photoshop for the iPad. Dare I say that we even need a port of Microsoft Office?”

Just wow. I would love for that to happen myself but I’m not entirely sure the device is capable unless the apps are ported and coded efficiently. I highly doubt it. Again, is there a problem with netbooks, small notebooks, tablets that is so turning you off that you have to resort to the iPad? I can understand the need for “better” but you’re giving much too much praise over iPad.

“This is horribly unfortunate and it means that anyone with existing content not in a friendly format will have to convert it before it’ll play on the iPad. While Apple likes to assume the world revolves around it, the truth is it just doesn’t. This is great for folks who already watch movies on their iPhones and not so great for those who don’t. Luckily with a good enough desktop, transcoding movies to your iPad shouldn’t be too painful.”

One of the reasons NOT to get a iPad. I am not going to waste countless hours to convert all my HD videos just so I can play on this. Why would you do such a horrible thing to yourself when a netbook/tablet/notebook could play it without any conversion? Install the damn drivers and be done. But yes you are right we are “LUCKY” because “Luckily with a good enough desktop, transcoding movies to your iPad shouldn’t be too painful.”

So the average user should know just how they should go about converting videos now. Very good luck with that if they are not PC enthusiasts with a decent/good PC setup.

“There’s no camera on the device so I’m assuming there’s no video encoding support either. You can get rid of any image processing as well. In order to hit that $499 price point with such an attractive device Apple most likely had to cut corners wherever possible.”

While I don’t fully disagree with you on this, you do realize other products such as smartphones/netbooks/tablets/notebooks do have the capabilities and a lot more. Yes of course you do. So aside from it being “Attractive” to hit its $499 price point, is there any other reason why you think they didn’t? The thing is rectangular and flat. The design, and being Apple, may instill a huge margin on the product but I wouldn’t say it’s particularly very attractive. If they can offer 3G and microSD slot, they could have had options for a camera...which is in itself tiny mind you.

“Apple never entered the netbook market because it believed the devices weren’t very good. I’d tend to agree. You can get better performance and similar size out of a CULV notebook if you’re looking for an actual notebook. The netbook makes sense if you are using it as a 2nd, 3rd or 4th machine - but then who’s to say that you need to stick with the same form factor as a notebook?”

I think you meant to say “actual netbook” or else the whole concept fails. But if you did, you had already bashed both the CULV and netbooks in your opening comments. And again, must I remind you and everyone else that Anand has praised many netbooks in their reviews. If they are not very good to begin with, because God forbid Apple thinks so and utterly refuses to enter the market >.>, they why bother reviewing them in the first place or give them good reviews? You knew that Apple knew that netbooks, and quite possibly e-readers, were not very good? You’re one hell of a psychic.

“Intel’s Atom processor is more than fast enough for the tasks you’d do on a netbook. The issue is that the OS and its applications running on netbooks are optimized for a class of processor that’s many times faster than Atom.

The iPad isn’t revolutionary, it simply takes an OS tailored to the power of the machine and pairs it with hardware that doesn’t look or feel like a netbook. Assuming that browsing the web, sending emails, using apps and watching videos is as fast on the iPad as it is on an Atom based netbook, Apple will have effectively capped the price of netbooks at $499. And to be honest, there’s no reason netbooks should ever approach that price to begin with”

Urgh. You just bashed netbooks for not being enough for you to do your tasks! and yet confirm that if only used for surfing, emails, and small apps it’s great. Then the price, its $100 more than what I have been voicing of netbooks but that’s fine. But then again, your comments are NOT consistent with the netbook reviews on the site.

“OS tailored to the power of the machine and pairs it with hardware that doesn’t look or feel like a netbook”

I somehow take offense to this statement. It is as if you are implying Apple has perfectly coded the OS to run on their hardware. How can one say that when he/she has no clue about the coding that went into the OS to begin with? You are making the implication base on your “use” of their devices, nothing more. Correct me if I’m mistaken here.

And while that may be true to some degree it is still the same OS used on the phones and you did have issues and/or dislikes with it. Correct me if I’m mistaken here as well. Multitasking IS a nice feature if it’s coded and works properly. Need I remind you of the Amiga multasking back in the 80’s. That is multitasking.

In addition, you make it sound like the iPad is the best thing and others are not because iPad doesn’t look or feel like a netbook? This is a review? This is still a technical site is it not?

“A device that slots in between a smartphone and a notebook shouldn't look too much like either device. It needs to borrow from the strengths of both and bundle them in an attractive package”

While that is also true to some extent, you make it sound like the iPad HAS to be different. No, it doesn’t. Technically, it really is just another tablet due to the technologies available. More specifically, it is a tablet PC that has some new features and limited and absent features that are currently on tablet PCs. So while it brings some new features it lacks many, many, many others. Productivity is a big decision for you and me both. I already know I can’t use this for most of my daily business task such as technical reports, manufacturing processes, etc.

Please don’t try to persuade readers that iPad is something entirely new and different. It is not. It is in some form a tone down or limited form of a tablet PC.

Thanks for taking the time to point our your thoughts. The length of your post suggest that you put a lot of thought into it. But reading through it, I feel you are off based a bit. This is definitely not intended as a flame at you so please don't take it as such.

Please keep in mind that this article is not a review at all like you addressed it as. It is merely Anand's thoughts' on the device given the release day info. A review would definitely mean that Anand has one in his lab and have put it through it's paces. And from every review that Anand has actually done, his review are usually very well thought out.

Additionally, sometimes I feel like you are reading something different in the article than what is actually written. Take for example your point on what was written by Anand as quoted here:

“Far more often we see Apple perfecting a particular device rather than diving head first into a new market segment.”

You then rebut that as Anand claiming the device is "perfection" and rebutted as such. Not sure about you, but when I do something, I do so with an attempt of perfecting it. Whether it be my art or my growth in life. But I would be the first to say I have never reach "perfection." It's totally two different meaning. As you later said it best in that "products can and will always be improved upon hence perfection is a hopeless statement" which seems to be that is what Anand claim Apple to be trying to achieve.

In the end, it's definitely another gadget/tool. It's up to us human to make of use of it the way we see fit. I actually agree with Anand on many of his points. I am not an Apple fanboi at all. I simply select the computer, device that I feel fit my needs. The iPad does fit a niche that I was not able to find before Apple's announcement. Though similar to a larger iPod Touch, in the application that I have in mind for it...it really isn't. Please keep an open mind.

I also know of medical staff and those on forums that have a great deal of interest in the iPad's announcement. Because they have been using clunky tablet PCs that cost thousands of dollars. The iPad with the right software, is affordable and just the right form factor for their needs and a positive step towards the government's requirement for electronic medical record. And in this usage scenario, where like a clipboard...the size and weight makes a huge difference in usability, every ounce of weight matters.

There's a whole lot of people out there in the world. Companies are gonna make products and claim they are the best. Don't get so emotionally invested in their claim. If the product suits you, great. If not, hope that another company can get it right and support them. It's really simple as that. Reply

Very well said ...Thanks. I just want to ask one question. I like to read before I go to bed and I browse in my small iPhone screen until I fall asleep. I have a laptop but when you are in bed, it is difficult to just lay on bed and read. iPad will be perfect for my need, to be able to do some browsing ..some simple task. Reply

you hit the proverbial nail on the head when you said it's all about productivity.
as it is, it's a tablet reader. why you would spend $200-$500 more than a Kindle costs to read a book is beyond me. fanboys would I guess. but right now it's an expensive toy.
I think apple mis-read the market here. either it's going to be a reader, or it's going to be a tablet computer. if it's going to be a real computer it needs more stuff.
dell has the right idea going here. look at the mini 5. 3G, GSM, GPS, Voip, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2 cameras, Flash, mutitasking, on Android 2.0.
if the iPad had all those functions it would be a slam dunk and we would be bowing at the alter of the Benevolent Dictator.
as it is we're just saying ho hum . . . . Reply

Wow your post is full of inaccuracies! You even got the price of the Kindle wrong. :-) Amazon sells the Kindle DX (9.7 inch screen) at $489. The iPad costs $499. That means the iPad only costs $10 more than the comparable Kindle, not $200-$500 as you described.

I wonder what motivated you to write all that nonsense... I guess you must hate Apple! Reply

with all the imposed limitations on this, its screaming for a jailbreak. once a good one is out, this thing will be useable.

right now its made directly for the soccer moms of the world.

i want to like this, but it will never replace my ipod touch due to lack of any portability, and having 3 consoles and a gaming pc at home, this would never get any gaming use.

basically a dust collector like the wii at my house.

but hey, i'm sure millions will buy into it. all the more power to them, i'm sure next year they'll include a bunch of intentionally omitted features (camera/etc) and milk another bunch of people, then a year later they'll introduce a better processor and probably make it slimmer as well.

so anyway, please, go ahead and buy, so they can make the better ones sooner. Reply

Seriously? Starting at $500 for that feature set? It really needs a pair of knobs on the front... because right now my nephews Etch A Sketch is looking like a more compelling media device. "To delete a file just hold the iPad upside down and and activate the 'iShake' feature. Remember to shoot yourself in the face when you are finished."

Explain to me just one more time, Anand, why I would not rather have both a netbook AND an touch/zuneHD 16gb for close to that price. That thing is the same size as my Eee's screen! It's amazing! ...that my Eee can hold up its own screen while I relax with my BT mouse in one hand and my beer in the other.

Also, I'm sick of this whole "there's an app for that" mantra. Thanks, we know there is an app for that... PC users have been downloading and installing their choice of purpose built freeware on demand in under 10 minutes for a little while now... how did Jobs turn this into some kind of epiphany? Oh right, because it is relatively new for Apple. The thing is, Flash is one of those things "computers" ought to do natively. Speaking of things devices like this ought to do, I WOULD download an app that allowed me to multitask, but I'm listening to music right now. Reply

When the iPhone first surfaced and the details made known, I was excited! The smooth touch interface and the (nearly) fully functional browser made it an attractive device. Now fast forward several years later, Apple has refined the OS and upgraded the processor so that the latest 3GS is a pleasure to use.

This iPad doesn't instill any of that excitement in me. The lack of flash for a large device such as this one is off putting for streaming video (e.g. Hulu), no multitasking is okay for an iPhone but not this. Also, as Anand mentioned, having to encode movies specifically for the iPad will be a pain and the price tag isn't very attractive for such a limited device that operates at 1024x768. I also think this device needs some sort of mouse control button similar to the ones used by Lenovo/IBM. If you make a typo or need to correct a webpage URL, using your fingers is cumbersome.

Personally, I'm more excited about 11.6" notebooks from Alienware (M11x) that do everything one could ask and are in a very portable form factor. The iPad will sell like crazy because it has an Apple logo on it but for all intents and purposes, it's overpriced and lacks function. Reply

I don't see this as being a revolutionary product. Nor do I see it as a new product fitting a new market. It's already been done.

Ever look at the Archos 5 (5" screen) or Archos 7 (7" screen)? It does exactly what the iPad is going to do. The difference though, is the iPad is going to get a lot more apps in the future. They get to push their product based on their name, cause of the successes of the iPod and iPhone.

I'm not saying the iPad won't be a success, nor am I saying it'll be a failure. Simply just saying there's already a product that does the same thing, is more feature rich, and supports a lot more media formats. Archos's little PMP has already evolved into what is currently the iPad and has been like that for a while now. Reply

Some of the things it won't do still astonish me. (At least, I can do SMS now instead of just text.) Still, it's a phone. I can give it a pass on some of that. Things like having to interupt Pandora when my wife sends me a text message are annoying - particularly annoying since some level of multitasking is available (e.g., iPod functionality can start bake up). But, again, it's a phone.

The (unfortunately named) iPad, on the other hand, feels like it should be something more. The lack of multitasking is a major oversight in my opinion. And, regardless of your opinion of Flash, it's pretty ubiquitous on the web. What I see here are examples of corporate stubborness on Apple's part.

The lack of a camera seems like a huge lost opportunity to me. The form factor of this thing practically screams portable video conferencing.

I've read a lot about it because I am genuinely interested in it as a technology. But, these issues really give me pause when it comes to plopping down my cash for one. I think Apple has done a good job (no pun intended) with what they've got. I see the iPad becoming a dominant technology for digital reading (particularly text books). The addition of iWorks apps is good too. And, all the stuff that's right about the iPhone is there too.

The iPad just misses the mark in some ways that surprise me - just like my iPhone did. And yet, it seems like the iPad should've been a bit more capable. Reply

I can see the iPad as being good for digital mags, newspapers, or books. So long as you aren't going to be reading for long amounts of time. Which so happens to be majority of the public, but I think the price is going to kill it in that regard. Not when an iPod Touch or iPhone can do the same.

I can easily sit down and read a book, hours on end. Eye strain on an lcd is horrid. That's why I've gone to a Sony eReader and paired it up with my netbook. I also sport a Zen X-Fi2 (love drag-and-drop) and PSP. When I need more power, I also have a 12.1" laptop.

For me, the iPad has no home. For others, it may easily fit in their homes. We won't know if it'll be successful or not, but as of right now, I'm leaning towards the latter. Reply

I get it, they're somewhere in between smartphones and netbooks...but why is the pricing more expensive, functionality worse, mediocre battery life, no handwriting recognition, no Flash...etc. Kindle is a very simple eBook device...but can also get a WEEK of functional battery life. what's the point of long standby life?

At this point I'm in doubt of productivity. I expect the true motive behind this is eBook support, and revenue generated from iPad specific software. Steve wants to grab some of Amazon's fat profit. Reply

My gut is telling me that there are too many open questions about this iPad, I'm feeling like this is a rushed or incomplete presentation of a tablet. Are there problems relative to realistic expectations concerning Apple’s SOC/chip? Did ARM intervene in the final hour with their A9? And why those prices? The product isn’t due to ship for another month; do they have a rabbit up their sleeve? Stay tuned
asH Reply

I can definately visualize how tablets can completely replace netbooks. But if you cant even play an avi video what the heck else wont you be able to do on this thing? Its a dead end. I've never accepted apple's limitations, and never will. Just like the iphone, the only people who will buy this are the dumb yuppies who like to waste money. Unfortunately for Apple, they are going extinct at a record rate.

I am far more hopeful about windows 7 based tablets for when cpus get small and powerful enough to actually run one.

But what I'm really looking for is a form factor that includes a scree that can flawlessly and seamlessly fold in half. Then I can have a phone and reasonable web surfing in one package. Reply

Handbrake is a free software that will enable you to encode all your video library in mp4 format (or m4v if you really like itunes). This is what the creator say about avi :
"AVI is a rough beast. It is obsolete. It does not support modern container features like chapters, muxed-in subtitles, variable framerate video, or out of order frame display."
Plus, translating into mp4 using the last versions of x264 is quite likely to shrink the size of your files. Reply

Hmm you can play avi Files on the Iphone with the right App, so you will be able to do the same on the Ipad.

The disc might not be very large but at least at home you can stream almost any video file from your PC/NAS directly to the Iphone/Ipad with encoding on the go, for example with the "Air Video" App.
If you go somewhere and wan't to take a few Video files with you,
you can take a sd-card and the adapter Apple provides, I'm sure there will be an App that can read and copy those files from the card.

With the Free App "TouchMouse" from Logitech you can control your Computer Mouse so you could connect your Computer with the TV and start a Video with the Ipad from your seat/sofa and use the Ipad as Remote.

There are many free Apps that Read PDF,TXT, etc Files (which you can transfer from your Computer to the Iphone/Ipad with Wifi, no need to use Itunes) so you aren't restricted to IBooks, you can even install Kindle Store and buy their E-Books.

etc etc

So to summarize, even if Apple doesn't really provide open standards, the are many free App's which add this functionalities, probably the Ipad will be "jailbreakable" too, so you are even more free with the choices and not dependable on the AppStore.

the iphone was never popular... early iterations were a failure, later fixed versions are selling better, but still have less than 1% of the phone market share.

the iPad cannot be compared to a eReader, because it does not use ePaper. you touted that as a "bonus", as if it being "color" was great. the eReader has the benefit of being a passive display (no light emission) like a book, and unbeleiveable battery. the iPad is nothing like an eReader and if it is trying to be it will be a huge failure... and kindle isn't the only competition in that market. Reply

you're kidding right? From day 1 they were sold out everywhere and going for over $1,000 on Ebay. Hell, even today 1st fucking gen iPhones are selling for more money used than a lot of brand new smart phones. The iPhone is the phone to have, period! I never NEVER hear people talking about any other phone. When I could put my 2st gen iPhone on CL tomorrow for $200 and have it sold before Monday. I'm not too sure how you consider the phone "never popular" there has never been a phone more popular. Reply

In the relevant market (smartphones), the iPhone is doing very well - they've already passed the market share of all WinMo phones combined and they're coming up on RIM, who has been in the market a lot longer than Apple. Reply

Steve Jobs incorrectly addressed Apple A4 as a CPU. We're not sure was this to keep the mainstream press enthused, but A4 is not a CPU. Or we should say, it's not just a CPU. Nor did PA Semi/Apple had anything to do with the creation of the CPU component. A4 is a System-on-a-Chip, or SOC, that integrates the main processor [ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore i.e. Multi-Processing Core, identical to ones used in nVidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon] with graphics silicon [ARM Mali 50-Series GPU], and other functions like the memory controller on one piece of silicon. Reply

My problem with exactly 1080p would have been the aspect ratio. 16:9 is not really optimal for a tablet, 3:2 like the iPhone makes imho the most sense (with 16:9 a landscape software keyboard would take up too much screen real estate). 1920x1280 (multiple of iPhone resolution) would have been my personal favorite.

But since it's highly unlikely that Apple will change the resolution or aspect ratio anytime soon (imho not for at least 2 years), we'll have to live with 1024x768 and 4:3 for a while. Maybe if the iPad is a mega huge success Apple will develop an iPad Pro ($800-$1200 instead of $500-$830) for the high-end :) Reply

If you still want to fight the DRM fight, I'd recommend a time machine to 5 years ago. DRM isn't going anywhere and this device isn't going to do anything worse than devices that are already out there. Reply

You mentioned that the resolution is disappointing, but if the 1024x768 display is a full 9.7" diagonal, then it works out to 131.959 PPI. Considering that a common print quality is 300 DPI, and most computer monitors are in the 72-100 PPI range, I'd say that 132 PPI is pretty decent for a 9.7" screen.

Now, if you'd had issue with the bezel size, I could understand that. Perhaps that will be the iPad 2 - same dimensions, smaller bezel, larger screen. :) Reply

You sit a lot farther away from a computer monitor than you would from the iPad (more like book or magazine reading distance). And even 300 dpi is pretty low for a high quality magazine.
The final goal for a ereader tablet should be to look like national geographics, and not just a little better than your computer monitor.

Around 200 ppi would have been okay for the iPad, 250 ppi or more would have been better (Motorola Droid has 265 ppi).

But yes, the bezel could have been smaller. I find that the bezel of the iPhone (top and bottom) is big enough for most thumbs. Plus content almost never starts immediately at the sides. And modern capacitive sensors and software should be able to differentiate between a hand holding the device and a thumb or finger interacting with the screen. I mean you could even place some capacitive sensors (really low density) in the bezel to detect where the user is holding the device to make it easier. Reply

The usage model presented seems very very similar to the usage model of ChromeOS. The recent interview in Ars had the dev discussing leaving it on the couch, picking it up, browsing to a site and turning it off again.

Now I think most people are assuming Chrome OS is a screen+keyboard netbook/laptop...but if iPad is slightly succesfully, I doubt it would take Google very long to get nice touchable UI in there. Reply

Anand, why do you assume that A4 is ARM based? Apple has extensive development experience in PowerPC architecture, and PA Semi created PowerPC based designs. It also means that there are no ARM license costs. PowerPC is quite a power efficient architecture.

Most of the OS is written in portable C code, and recompiling it to a PowerPC architecture is not a significant effort. Also, existing iPhone 3rd party apps could be recompiled with the new SDK to run on iPad, and only if they use some custom ARM assembler code the "port" would require significant effort. Reply

Movies: Sadly for apple my home system runs windows. I am not going to transcode movies that set up for windows media centre just to play on the iPAD - I did this once for the PSP and it is a pain.

Also only 720p is pathetic.

EBooks: big plus point will be format but will want to see DRM rules first. However all ebook readers fail for me - I am a very quick reader, ebook readers like Ipad only display a single page at a time and currently the refresh rate on page turnover makes reading a very poor substitute for a real book.

itunes - do not use, storage is dirt cheap and I only use lossless formats - sounds better as well.

Storage: needs an SSD.

Output - no HDMI port

So far the only things this will be any use for are

1. reading the newspaper on my morning commute - as it is a better size - but even there how do I do the sudoku and crossworld puzzles in the paper

2. keeping kids quiet on long journeys by watching movies - but the PSP does that and is a lot cheaper

Not impressed. Suggested second gen improvements: HDMI port, SSD capability, expand the formats supported, speed up the processor so that page turnover for Ebooks is instant, 1080p display and that is just off the top of my head Reply

No multitasking
No flash/java (Apple™ Full Internet Experience®)
No full OS X, and thusly, no freedom to decide what you want on it, apple decides
Capacative touchscreen (creating the retarded bezel, and removing all use as a sketching tool, which mystifies me, surely Apple goes for creative types, and a sketching tablet would be attractive, ooh, but PINCH TO ZOOM)
No SD port, or indeed, memory expansion of any kind (640k is enough, right)
No replacable battery (Apple's perfect creation would never run out and need charging when you need it most, surely!) Reply

One thing the iPad could excel with is remote desktop display. Jaadu VNC on the iPhone already provides a very decent experience on the iPhone (I can even use the "Spaces" feature on OS X on an iPhone 3G with 3G connection), but the use is ultimately crippled by the small size of the screen, especially when one needs to display a keyboard. With an IPad, such app would really shine.
With virtualized machine outputing as VNC servers, it could be a cost effective for corporates compared to laptops, with much better data security (with VPN or SSH tunelling, that IPhone OS offers).

Of course, the same can be said for netbooks, but, ironically, they become too powerful for this usage !
As far as I am concerned, as I always have wireless internet access, I see no point at having a laptop anymore. An IPad, possibly with the keyboard accessory, and a desktop/server at home is sufficient for me. Reply

Powerful as in too hot on my lap. The superfluous software layers of a full fledged Windows XP (or worse, windows 7) end up eating cpu power and shorten battery life. When I play a video on my iphone, it stays cool. Read the introduction to the article again ! Reply

What Apple is doing with the iPad is pretty smart.
The iPad isn't really intended to be revolutionary as a computing device. It will be just good enough at enough things that you will justify it's purchase. It's meant to find more ways to sell you Apple stuff. It's not going too be great at anything except giving you the preceived need to buy loads of small ticket items from Apple.
You can read a book on it so you're going to try that out. Money for Apple. You're going to buy that stupid beer drinking app a 2nd time. Money for Apple. You're going to buy apps and music and data plans and it all has to be from Apple.

People buy a netbook and get all the functions the iPad has and mostly for free. Apple is smart because they are finding magical ways to seperate you from your cash under the guise of convenience. Reply

It'd be great to find out more about the iPad's GPU. Bright Side of News is reporting that it might be an ARM Mali 50-Series which doesn't make much sense seeing that the Mali-55 is only an OpenGL ES 1.1 part. Given Apple's prior experience and financial backing, a PowerVR SGX chip is most likely, probably the often rumoured SGX 545.

And I wonder how much RAM the iPad has. 512MB seems reasonable, although given the extra room and low RAM prices, 1GB is quite doable. Reply

I seriously doubt it is the ARM Mali. From what I've heard it's nearly 100% that the iPad uses a PowerVR SGX. Remember Apple owns nearly 10% of Imagination Technologies. To not use one of their cores seems hypocritical :)

I'm very interested in some kind of linux variant OS for this kind of hardware running on the Sony X series. It's the same weight and thickness with a larger screen and faster(?) processor and also has a multi-touch display. Just that it is not in a tablet form. Reply

The Apple tablet does not multi-task. This is a serious flaw.
It also does not plat flash on the web another serious flaw.
Add in a lack or removable media and I wonder about the usefulness of this device.

The OS and multi-touch interface are the strong points for this and the iPhone, but need to be developed to really be revolutionary. Reply

Display:
- Low resolution (9.7" 1024x768 132ppi), no HD (720p), even lower ppi than iPhone (3.5" 480x320 163ppi), no comparison to Motorola Droid's ppi (3.7" 854x480 265ppi), Nexus One (800x480) or even Kindle DX (9.7" 1200 x 824, 150 ppi)
- No advanced display technology (Pixel Qi etc.)
- No digital TV-Out (Micro-HDMI, Mini DisplayPort etc.)
- For a modern device weird display ratio (4:3), IMHO iPhone's ratio (3:2) would have made more sense
- Glossy
- Plus this most likely means that we won't see a higher resolution screen in this years iPhone (iPad 9.7" with 1024x768 and than just 3 months later an iPhone 3.5" with 800x480 or something like that? No way!).

Storage:
- Only 64GB. Last years iPod touch has already 64GB, iPhone 32GB. I'm sure only a few months after the iPad comes out we'll see 64GB iPhones and 128GB iPod touches.

GPS:
- No GPS in WiFi only model

Sound:
- No stereo speakers (Seriously? On top, just opposite to the bottom one would have been so easy. I mean there's no camera and no telephone speaker up there as in the iPhone, there's got to be room there for a second speaker. I mean there are even tiny dumb phones out there with "decent" stereo speakers, e.g. from Nokia and Samsung).

Battery and Power:
- Only "up to" 10 hours of WiFi surfing (comparable to the iPhone)

Anad could this possible be the featured SGX 545 "The IP is already proven in silicon in a test chip from Imagination and licensed by a lead partner." from PowerVR website.

Does Imagtec PowerVR even have a 45nm core?

The video playback should provide clues to figure out witch version of the PowerVR was used. Though it can be the software that it's crippling it. Since the PowerVR has been demoed on the beagleboard doing full HD decoding.

Apple sucks at giving details. Can't anyone take on of those things apart so we can get some anwsers? GRRRR Reply

I think it looks like it has a good chance to do well in the target market, and will do well.

Pity I'm not part of that market. ;) What *I* want is something portable that allows blogging/forum commenting on the go. I don't see that working with that form factor, or without a keyboard.

What I want is a netbook. Need to find the money for that. ;)

What I don't get, is why no one's gone the route of turning one of these devices into a phone (software & cell modem + input/output audio port). I mean, sure, it's it's a horrible form factor for just a phone, but if you're going to carry one of these everywhere *anyway*, why not drop the need for the extra device? Reply

Without flash you lose access to a lot of content and with a screen that size I think it will be very inconvenient. I think there will be a lot of POed customers when they find out the can't even watch youtube videos on this thing.

Apart from that I really like the idea, I'm hopping something a little smaller and faster will be out by next year, doesn't have to be apple. I would seriously consider dropping my cell phone for something with real internet (not the mobile pages) that can be carried on my hip . Reply

Many had MP3 players before Apple, but the MP3 player market before the iPod isn't like the notebook market before the current gen MacBook Pro for example. With its PCs, Apple mostly looks at the market and tries to improve upon existing designs, innovating where possible. The same thing can be said about the iPhone. Apple didn't have as established of a market to learn from with the iPod.

Tablets have been done before, but not like this next generation we're about to see. I would've normally expected Apple to wait until the whole plethora of Tegra 2, Windows 7, Android, etc... tablets to hit before coming out with theirs. Instead, Apple is an early comer this generation.

Great article. I do think that iPad is a great alternative somewhere between MacBooks and the iPhone. Apple have defiantly coupled a good build and a solid O.S. together, again.

Funny how it hardly has been noticed that Microsoft have been doing this for years, re-releasing new touch PC's.

The iPhone was an innovation (with the multi touch glass display). The iPad is not exactly necessary at it's current stage. I'm sure the MacBook's are fine for now, if you thought iPad was a computer replacement.

Would be interesting to see a fully operational Mac OS X Leopard running of a tablet.

But it's Apple's great O.S'. and price range which has sold their products from the past. :) Reply

Conspicuous consumption (aka the Veblen goods theory). The fact that apple has higher prices obviously suggests to the (usually uneducated) consumer that the goods in question are of a higher quality. It's worked fantastically for the LVHM conglomerate, at least.

The new macbooks (in relation to the Rev A MBP) are of a more reasonable price, though. Reply

I'm not the biggest fan in the world of Apple. A lot of the hardware community (starting with AT and Ars) fawns all over them, which is something I simply can't understand. No Hardware company ever got this kind of affection before the "Apple reinessaince" of the last 3 years. That's why I don't like Apple. They have good hardware - sometimes. They have good software - sometimes. The only thing they do that truly differentiates themselves from their competitors all amounts to showmanship. Instead of putting a device into beta testers hands a year in advance (a la Microsoft or the console makers) Apple announces it in such a way as to manufacture the most 'buzz' (and everyone falls for it); it launches with almost zero software support (meaning it is useless) - but everyone loves it anyway. The reason usually given for the love? "The sparse environment is so modern and aesthtetically pleasing."

That said, I actually was pretty stoked about the iSlate (which was what at the time I assumed it would be called). It is EXACTLY the kind of product I could see myself getting. I am not a big phone guy, I like connectivity but talking on the phone is a single-thread activity; I work in multiple instances in multiple dimensions. I really love the concept of the tablet - and have ever since Microsoft really started pushing the format.

(That's my second point, Anand. Twice in this article you cite Apple as the 'inventory' or 'first person in' to a market - you're absolutely wrong on both counts. It seems like every serious hardware guy who goes over to Apple becomes a fanboy - totally ignorant of the facts, and re-writes history to fit their vision of the world. The same happened to Jon Stokes. What's the deal?)

So, as I said, I was really, really excited for the iSlate. I don't like PMP's because the video is unworkable - and if you just want an MP3 player what's the point of the screen anyways? The most exciting parts of the ZuneHD are HD Radio and Zune Pass and portable gaming. Video isn't even on the list.

But an iSlate-like device could really change the way people use technology. I was a big fan of Earth: Final Conflict and I've always felt that the "Global" device used in that show was the future of communications. A portable screen which gives person a thin but robust computing appliance and handles all personal tech interface. You still have a desktop for serious work, but most of the utility stuff ironically gets moved to the iSlate.

So imagine my surprise when, as a non-Apple fanatic, I found myself *VERY* excited for the iSlate.

And Apple delivered the iPad.

This is *not* the device I was told to expect. The only thing it really has in common with the device I want is 3G and touch screen.

DO WANT:
Multi-core full-feature x86 CPU. Will settle for Tegra2 SoC.
Video acceleration
Full Desk Client OS. Preferrably Win7, so I can run all the software I want. Settle for OSX or Ubuntu in a pinch.
Same feature set of 64GB/3G for $500

I was actually very surprised to learn about the initial price point, until I heard about the 3G. It's not useless without 3G, but without 3G it isn't the same device. It's another laptop on the couch, as Anand put it so eloquently.

The Inside:

If you look at the specs, there's actually only one company that's really positioned at all to deliver the device that I'm talking about in the next 5 years. It's name starts with an A. And ends with an MD.

AMD can make their fortunes here. Designing a light SoC and tap Qualcomm/etal for radio support. Ideally a Bulldozer based solution which would support hardware backed SMT (cut down on core count) tied with 5000-series-class DX11 acceleration. Runs Win7. Access to all the content the web has to offer - which is 1 billion times better than iTunes or iBook store.

Please make this device. Apple has shown you it can be done at the right price point. Think about that last sentence, Dell/HP/MS/AMD/Intel. APPLE has shown you how something can be AFFORDABLE!

DO IT!

That said, I am still very interested in the iTab. It looks to be a great device, especially if they get the mutli-tasking problem licked in iPhoneOS4 and add in Flash/Silverlight.

Agreed. I question whether your request (x86 modern CPU, "discrete" graphics, 64GB of flash, touchscreen, 3G modem, long battery life) is doable for $500 though. Such a device will likely be $800, and hype/demand/shipping/tax will probably drive that closer to $1000. Reply

I agree that the x86 would push the cost up a bit, but the other side of it is that the manufacturing cost for x86 will be lower than it will be for ARM (because the 2 x86 manufacturers are ahead of any foundry). It will take some agressive work, but I think this is exactly the kind of thing bulldozer would be great at.

The alternative is, of course, to port Win7 to ARM. MS needs to get on this right away. It would kill AMD, of course, (like overnight), but it would also really rejuvinate the PC hardware market. HP and Dell have been terrible stewards - all the innovation comes out of Taiwan.

If you can make a T&L laptop with Core2Duo for $600, then I really believe you can make a tab for about the same amount of money (smaller screen (always the most expensive part of a portable), fewer raw materials, no drive, smaller board, simpler board (no peripherial traces because it would have to be a SoC).

I agree that the price is probably north of $500, but I think it's less than $700 (maybe 699).

The main reason I ask for x86 is because I can take my Win7 desktop applications and (With a full x86 multicore) run them on the tablet piece of cake.

I would pay $1,000 for this because it would be useful to me, but cost is probably about $699.

MS could really hit a home run here, too, if they did some work and tied all the marketplaces (Zune, WinMo, XBL) together and used the Tablet as the "ambassador" device. The *BEST* part is that Apple took the STUPIDEST name for a tablet, meaning we can get something like "Slate" or "Canvas." Reply

Our of those two possibilities, I would say x86 is the most likely one. Porting windows to ARM would be ... nasty. That said application compatibility with (real) OS X/Windows is sorely needed in this formfactor.

I'd say the change from x86 to ARM won't be as bad as you think - after all, they ported NT to IA-64 (and I don't have anything but a vague sense to back this up) which I think it a much bigger change than x86 to ARM. Totally different programming models, whereas x86 and ARM are fundamentally the same in the way they think about processing data, just different in the way the way they handle specific instructions.

I agree with you, but the Bill of Materials you linked just enhances my point, I think. There is nothing the Slate needs that the iPhone has - so basically you scale the cost of the display 400%. Your BoM also doesn't include the cost of the battery (at least I don't see it).

By basically doubling the price of all components but RAM (x8 to get 2GB), Display (x4 for combined touch+display, which is probably a little strong), CPU ($50) and leaving the radios all the same (don't need a different radio) you get $397. Add in a baterry for...I don't know $50 you get $450. At $500 that's a gross margin of 10% (obviously nowhere near good enough, it needs to be way more than that - 40-50%), which gets you to $625 (including battery at 40% profit margin). Sell it for a handsom $74 profit per unit at $699, and you're doing quite well.

It's worth pointing out that my projections are significantly strong in hardware (I believe), but that puts it in my target range. $649 would obviously be better, and I really believe $599 is the sweet spot for such a device...but. Yeah.

I'm *really* excited for tablets, and if MS/PC OEM's don't have something by next winter I may just have to partake (especially if there is OSX or a much more fully-featured iOS4 available).

I believe the company that will make the most successful tablet device is Asus, followed by MSI, Acer and Lenovo. It is just a matter of time, and understanding to use attractive and durable case. Use metal or fiber, not cheap plastic; use Android or Win 7 with x.264 decoding, SDXC, USBs and HDMI out. Very simple mix to create the ultimate product. Just please do it :). Reply

I think Tegra 2 is a much better platform than the A4 ; Since a dual core processor is not claimed, I suspect it is a Cortex A8 pushed up to 1 GHz clock rate, and the GPU must be SGX 540 (which is what is being used to decode H264 I suspect). [[ All speculations with some hunches ]]

By the way, no webcam / no HDMI output even with docks is downright disappointing. This thing is a joke when it comes to HD playback as you have duly noted. Not even L4.1 or High Profile is supported, No Blu-Ray M2TS or off-the-web MKV playback will be possible.

Feature wise, I think even Notion Ink's tablet is better than this. But, with Apple's marketing & fanboys, it is unpredictable.. Reply

I think unfortunately this isn't going to be the video playback device it was rumored to be. It'll be great for iTunes content, and for those people who don't mind doing some transcoding, but it lacks the copy and go flexibility that I was hoping for.

This is the downside to companies like Apple. They work too closely with the content owners/providers, and thus play it safe with things like this.

It is such a disappointment for video consumption considering how nice the display appears to be. 16GB storage is downright pathetic if you ever wanted to play video. 64GB is only slightly better but there isn't a way to add a SD card to expand it. On a device this big intended for high res content, that is a huge misstep. Even 720p itunes video take considerable space. Then you don't have the HDMI port for when you get to your destination.

I bought a iPod touch for video consumption, pandora, and audiobooks (i can't use an iphone) and I have been entirely disappointed with the screen quality. After seeing this iPad, I'm still waiting for my perfect video device.

It's not like Apple to leave this much room for others to innovate. Reply

this would be a revolutionary product if apple somehow jacked the wireless providers into providing 3g for say 10 a month. but without that nobody is going to choose this over a much better performing laptop. nokia invented the ipad a couple years ago except they called it the n800. it was a nice product but you dont see anyone walking around with them do you? Reply

I don't believe the choice should be between an iPad or a laptop. Presumably iPad users will already have a fast PC of some sort, this would be an auxiliary device just as a smartphone is. The question is whether or not there's room for such a device, and to answer that we really need to see how this thing works in a day to day setting.

I've got my notebook/desktop when I do work, my smartphone while I'm walking around, but what do I pull out while I'm on an airplane? Can I get by with just an iPad/iPhone combo for a trip out west or do I still need a laptop? If I need three devices, I'm not sure there's a point. If not, there may be a chance.

I agree with you that the question is whether or not there is room for this device. As you mentioned, this device may have usefulness during travel where a phone is insufficient. I disagree with your analysis of the netbook, and specifically, the value of the iPad over a netbook.

There are 2 key benefits of a netbook where the iPad fails. First, netbooks are relatively cheap at $300 with 6.5 hours of wifi or 10 hours radio-less. Second, netbooks are capable of running office applications and being productive. For office applications, web browsing, and video/audio - netbook performance is sufficient in my experience. Together, these make netbooks an excellent choice for productive (professional and student) travelers. Netbooks are gaining a lot of interest at my school, and I see more of them every week.

The iPad looks awesome as a supplement to the TV when lying on a couch, for browsing while traveling, or maybe as an e-book reader. But not for being productive - not for justifying its $499 price for those without discretionary income. Reply

yes whether ipad succeeds will depend on how it works once we all get to see it up close. at the very least ipad will probably lead to cheaper windows tablets with greater functionality and low priced mobile data plans that will have the power to replace laptops for light surfing and computing Reply

Excellent comment. I almost like this better than the actual article :-)

I'm not gonna drag along iPad + laptop. It's either ... or. Robustness is a factor in this. An iPad contains big, relatively unprotected piece of glass. What's the expected life time of this thing? The other factor is, of course, productivity, as you discussed. Reply

I'm still trying to figure out where this fits between my iPhone, kindle, and yet-to-arrive laptop currently being manhandled by UPS. The "internet capability" saturation has reached a maximum here, and an additional device won't help that. Reply

I've got a powerful notebook connected to real monitors I take between home and work, my blackberry on the go, and my netbook around the house and when I'm traveling.

Yes the netbook sacrifices performance while traveling, but it is a full PC when I need it, and a long lasting casual web browser when I'm on the couch. Because the iPad is just an upscaled iPhone, it will never be able to replace my notebook while traveling. The netbook can. So, instead of carrying a heavy notebook with limited battery, my phone, AND a iPad for casual entertainment, I can carry just my phone and my netbook while only losing a bit of all out performance. Reply

I'm going to have to agree with you about wondering this is going to fit in peoples lives. Personally I have a powerful desktop and a once top of the line 17" laptop, I don't have a smart phone or such device as I don't travel or move around all that much, nor do I have a workplace that would sync will with it.

I do have a PSP (slim 2000) I use for occasional trips, so I can watch movies, listen to music, or play some games. For me this device could be something that could fit well because I don't have a very mobile laptop nor a smart phone.

However it doesn't take the place of my portable media device, as it doesn't watch movies outside of the iTunes store, and can't display its graphics to a larger screen (like a laptop could). To me this devices sacrifices far too many qualities (really it is versatility) with low end laptops or net books while not really enhancing what current things do. It really is just a bigger screened iTouch/iPhone, which really doesn't appeal to me.

What this needs is more multimedia capabilities. More connections, ports, software support (or allow developers to add more) for file types, and playback of something more than just 720p content. Reply

If it's anything like iPods or iPhones, then multimedia content doesn't have to come from the iTunes Store. It should be able to play non-iTunes Store music or video although some re-encoding might be necessary.

The iPad now actually has officially sanctioned external monitor capability as part of the SDK from early reports. You'll need the proper cable to connect to the dock though. Reply

the tablet format does have some appeal for internet surfing. just not having to fold a laptop open makes you more likely to use it for light surfing. but it still needs mobile wireless and a faster boot up Reply

Given it has 20.833x the battery capacity of the iPhone, I'm going to go ahead and guess that the IPS screen is a huge e- hog. Especially if speculation that the A4 is a 45nm single-core chip is correct. (and Apple would have said if it was dual core I think). Waiting for the OLED model with 15hr bat life. Reply

The product seems to have potential (in future versions, perhaps). While this may appeal to couch potatoes everywhere (myself included), without actually seeing in its full glory, it seems too much like an expensive, high-end netbook. Perhaps it will be able to run some better apps once they are designed for it or be used instead of a textbook in classes. I'll just have to wait (a few years) and see. Reply

There's a just under $500 Netbook out there called the Asus Eee T91.
It's a netbook, but its also a tablet.

Given that the $500 price point is hittable by existing netbook tablets which run a full OS with multitasking capability, it doesn't really seem unreasonable that going forward there will be more products in this class.

Also with the one month standby time, I expect my regular laptop might be able to get close to that with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Using hybrid sleep they can wake up instantly from sleep mode and be instantly ready. I would assume that a function like that would be workable into the iPhone OS for the tablet, and basically have a similar function.
Given the fact that it doesn't really need to be on, unlike a phone which needs to be ready to take calls etc, it seems like an off bt with power to RAM type mode would make sense to give tremendous standby time. Reply

Has multi tasking
Already has 10 hrs battery life
Has Anything a PC does like Flash
Light 3 lbs.
Tough, can drop it
Can play old games on it like warlords battle cry 3 currently..
Can dock it like ipad.

[quote] The one thing Apple prides itself on is doing just that. As one of very few one-stop hardware/software makers, it has the ability to tightly couple UI with physical design. We saw it manifest in its greatest way with the iPhone, and now Apple (or perhaps the media covering Apple) is attempting to recreate the magic with the iPad. [/quote]

You say that, but the iphone wasn't a breakaway hit.
The iPhone eventually became a breakaway hit once it was fixed up and released a second and third time as a much improved product, but initially it didn't do all that well. Wouldn't surprise me to see if anything a very similar pattern with the iPad, only this time it will have better competition because it will be fighting both x86 based tablets with Windows or Linux, but also probably ARM based products. Reply

I agree, I think that Apple will probably release an ipad in the next coming years with an integrated camera and maybe an SD slot. They could've easily made an application called ichat and revolutionize im's. Some people probably thinks an ipad is too big and I would not be surprised that they will release an ipad mini or something like that with an 5"-7" screen.

I doubted apple before with the ipod and iphone products but they were able to sell. I don't own both and I am not planning to buy them. I am seriously thinking of buying an ipad even though I'm not a apple fan. Reply

From a technology and a reception standpoint, I think the iPhone did quite well on its first iteration. It sold ridiculously well given the price point. Obviously it didn't come into its own until the 3G and associated price drops, but I don't believe it was a mediocre first start.

I agree on the competition angle. Apple had a ~2 year head start with the original iPhone. We've only recently started to see real competition from Android based devices. The iPad will not enjoy such luxury, unless Apple has done something unusually revolutionary in its A4 silicon.

I don't know if it fails, but it definitely isn't reaching it's potential.

A device like this should be running it's own OS, or maybe not a new OS, but definitely a new framework. How long did it take to develop this? They act like there was a breakthrough. Is the fact that it plays the same stuff as an iPhone/iPod Touch supposed to make me happy? I mean it should be able to do that... it's the same thing with a larger form factor.

The keyboard - most notably the worst part about the "iPx" (as I call it) brand - is the same thing! I was hoping for something that I could use to program iPhone apps on - the iPad is not for that. Microsoft had a better idea back when it split the keyboard in half and put it at both sides of the screen (a nice thumb keyboard).

And did anyone else find the keynote boring as hell?
A repetition of old applications and slow speech - really slow speech. As if talking slower will impress us more when demonstrating dated technology. And don't let me start on the "App Store" plugs that Jobs inserted every time he had a chance - as if we couldn't tell they just want us to spend more money. Jobs and staff act like the new "Calendar" and photo viewing is a revolution. I don't know, it looks similar to Microsoft Outlook's calendar, only there's no VBA behind it that I can script to customize and automate things.

The best thing about the presentation was probably the accessories. The keyboard dock was nice, perhaps bluetooth would have been better. Why? There's no side port, so forget about those landscape papers - think PowerPoint.

--------

They talk about it being "redesigned", but the thing that needs to be redesigned is the framework. The iPad is not really customizable, so customers will have to hope for someone to JailBreak it. This is a necessity to really have applications that do something useful.

If I haven't lost you yet, let me tell you the two things I found worst about the presentation:

When Jobs loaded pages, it took forever - longer than my iPhone loads pages. It shouldn't matter that it's a bigger screen, the webpage data is the same. The problem is probably in Apple's A4 Processor, which probably is where they saved the money to drop the price down from $999 (that and no camera as you noted - probably not microphone either?). Notice that it is an 802.11n wifi, but it took forever to load the page. The connection should have been super fast. The pages should have loaded instantly.

But, the biggest problem with the iPad, which I'm sure many of you saw, is it's lack of a Flash player. It's just funny, "let's go to New York Times", "let's go to Time's website", "let me show you how some of the page doesn't load, because you'll only get an icon where that Flash content should be." They used a page that has Flash as an example - hahaha. And did you see how fast he scrolled past it? It's sad; truely a demonstration of nothing new here.

If I were Apple, I would have focused more on how I could integrate this as a remote control for my home media center (eg. TV, Lights, Stereo). Instead, this news announcement just showed us much of the same. This demonstration just doesn't cut it. I'm curious to see what the new Cortex A9 processors would have done for the iPx products. A dual-core ARM processor might really change the game. Not to mention I think it could put the "10 hour" battery life to shame. Apple should have waited for the better technology, or maybe they are planning on it and just trying to squeeze more out of their customers to the tune of 3G -> 3GS. Reply

I agree with every point you made but would like to make another point. With a device like this I would like to have access to movies on my network. There is no reason why I should not be able to access this through a device like this, yet there is no network sharing tools or anything to browse a shared network. Also a device this large running with a screen like that should support FLASH!! I noticed how fast he scrolled over the empty spot where the flash content should have been. I chuckled!!!

Final words to Apple; GET A GRIP. OVER 50% OF WEBSITES USE FLASH OF SOME SORT YOU MORONS. YOU MUST SUPPORT FLASH ON A DEVICE LIKE THIS. Reply

Where did you get this information that over 50% site uses FLASH ?
Adobe flash will die because Ajax is better than FLASH and HTML5 is also better than FLASH. A lot of people hate FLASH. Macromedia SOLD to Adobe because they did not see much future in FLASH which they through would bring revolution. SO stop being a MORON ! Reply

I see a problem here; firstly the internet requires input, our experience with touch screen inputs finds interaction is just not fast enough, and texting? And in respect to size, the bigger a device is the more the consumer expects. What exactly do we get that’s different from an iPod? ebooks? What exactly can I do with it, that’s not of the smaller iPod? Apps2 ? Reply

I think the problem with the iPad is a little different than just lack of features. First, we need to look at the iPhone. When it first launched, the killer app was the Internet in your pocket. You could now walk around carrying a full HTML browser in the palm of your hand, with connectivity anywhere. This was pretty revolutionary at the time--Opera on WinMo or S60 didn't even come close in performance or ease of use. So what's the killer app for the iPad? IMHO, the iPad is trying to bring new media (web, blogs, streaming video, digital magazines and newsfeeds etc.) into a familiar old media format.

But the problem is that Apple isn't doing anything revolutionary with the content itself. It's the same content I can browse on my PC for the most part. So why will users settle for a locked down platform with silly limitations (no multitasking, no Flash support?)

Here are the biggest threats to the iPad:
- HTML5: Even though Safari will be HTML5 compliant, this standard poses a serious threat to Apple's closed, self-managed content storefronts. Browsers will continue to evolve and the scripting engines will get better and better. As more websites get comfortable with HTML5, the "app" experience will move to the open web and become more accessible to multiple devices. As a developer, would I rather code with multiple SDKs for each device, or write my app once in HTML5 and do the bare minimum of porting possible?
- Android: You know its a matter of months before Android tablets emerge. They will bring full Flash support, multitasking, and probably a camera or 2. The software won't be as polished as the iPad's initially, but those new releases keep coming.
- Snapdragon2/Tegra2/Cortex A9/Moorestown: As advanced as Apple's silicon may be, it isn't the only game in town. With all of this powerful mobile silicon and OSes to take advantage (Android, Moblin, WinMo 7 etc.) don't expect the iPad to stay at the forefront of tablet tech for very long. Reply

Apple never does anything revolutionary, but they take evolutionary things and package them into something that is easy to use (which, for IT, is revolutionary). The iPad may not succeed but hopefully the concept will finally succeed. For so long we've needed a device of this size and form. We've seen it in theory since the 60's (Star Trek, etc) and now we have it. Quit looking at what the iPad is missing and look instead at what it CAN (hopefully) do.

And isn't it funny how Microsoft is fading into insignificance while Apple and Google take center stage? Just like the all powerful IBM did in the PC days. Dear Mr Balmer, you company is doomed unless you take some serious action. Hire some young, imaginative programmers and managers who "get it" (no Windows or WinMobile types allowed), lock them in a room, and have them build a new OS designed for low power CPU's. It's your only hope for the future. And porting Office to it is mandatory. Reply

Archos 5 or Archos 7. Exactly what you want and has been available for over a year. The problem. Not enough ppl make apps for it.

It's not "now we have it," it's "we've had it and completely ignored it."

I'll stick with my netbook though. I loaded up Win 7 Pro on it yesterday and it sails now. WinXP on it was horrid. The internet dragged, media was horrible, etc. While it's not anywhere near my desktop, I can at least surf the web and watch my non-HD vids with no probs. Give it a touchscreen and it'd be perfect. Reply

And just how is Microsoft "fading into insignificance" when most of the market buys their little Apple gadgets to use them in conjunction with their Windows PC? They may play around on their iPhone while on a business trip, but first chance they get they'll sync up to their PC so they can get some real work done. Just because a Segway is fun to ride around, that doesn't mean it will replace the sedan or grocery-getter...it's an expensive toy. Reply

Yeah, until MS finally just sets WinMo on fire and rebuilds the foundation, we will never see a satisfactory mobile device from them.

Apple's biggest success with this product is the iPhone OS. It's tailored to a small touch screen. You can't throw a desktop OS on a 10in touch screen and expect the user to have a satisfactory experience. Reply

While I agree about WinMo (I actually don't think WinMo7 will ever arrive since they probably won't have any market share left to sell to once it is complete next year) you should check out Courier. Very slick and actually as handy to lug/toss around as a small hardcover. Reply

Windows Mobile is a selling point for me and for most of friends of mine.

I couldn't care less about flashy screens with 0 functionality. WinMo allows me to:
a) install whatever I like
b) develop my own software for it, without asking any mofo's permission
c) it supports bloody folders

Apple is simply outstanding marketing, nothing else. Lacking obvious features like copy&paste, introducing ridiculous constraints yet convincing customers that it's the way it should be. "I miss folders, but you could get nearly the same with playlists", right... Reply

a) install whatever I like : What would that be which is not available in app store ?
b)develop my own software for it: Ohh did you ever develop anything in your whole life ? If so please tell me which app ?
c) it supports bloody folders : Oh really? Folders are so 71. Why we do not search in Google by folders ? because when there is lots of data...folders does not matter, all you need a good search engine to fine it. If you have 4 files in your computer yes use a folder but if you have 25,000 MP3 then yes use search function to find files Reply

Wow, no offense, sir, but I think you need to put down the Apple kool aid take a few deep breaths. You're thinking of mobile devices as toys rather than tools. Outside of the multimedia industry that's pretty much Apple's target audience. Some people need to use their devices for things other than shopping/playing silly games while waiting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, making dinner reservations, etc. Outside of our media department Apple has little to nothing to offer my company compared to Linux and Microsoft.

Not only can we install the software we need (I'm going to ignore your "app store" comment...sure, there are some fun time-wasters to be had there, but very little that is actually useful), but both Windows Mobile (with all of its flaws) and Android are chock-full of out-of-the-box (or free via a download) functionality that is actually useful and productive. What little of this functionality is available on an iPhone requires multiple micro-transactions (most aren't free) from the app store, and then we're still left sorely lacking in business features.

Yes, our company does develop our own mobile device apps for WinMo and Android. No, you won't find any of them available to the public as they are not ridiculous "mood ring" apps that cost $5 and are entertaining for 10 minutes...they're clients for our IT data services and internal software, utilities for field engineers, etc. Heck, I've even developed several utilities for my own personal use.

Don't understand why someone would want folders? I don't even know how to address that. Sure, an indexed database is great for music, but not for a million other things. Again, you're thinking in terms of toys and appliances rather than tools.

Don't get me wrong, Apple makes great multimedia tools and electronics that work well for non-technical users. For me and my business their platforms are far too locked down and limited for us to bother with them. Reply

Apple Kool Aid: So you think people buy product with their hard earned money just because they the product is made by apple ? Does not make any sense to me or will not make any sense to marketing either. I personaly still use WinXP and MAC OSX because I think they are both good.

Not only can we install the software we need: So lets see. I am a LAMP developer as well and I can have my "SSH" app install and I can install and configure any php app with this for free which is not entertainment. Have you heard of "iphone SDK" you too can develop ahy app for yourself or for the business users without apples approval and can distribute in your organization.

WinMo and Android: WinMO is dead ..it could not do anything significant ..even browsing. Android is promising but still nothing close to what iphone offers.

Don't understand why someone would want folders? - So indexing is only for music and it is a toy ? Really so what is Google or any other search engine ?

Don't get me wrong, Apple makes great multimedia tools : This statement by you again contradictory of what you said earlier. Yes they make good product and that is why people buy them. Even if you are just a investor you would buy apple stock because they are doing good. I undersatnd for you (b2b market) apple has limited appeal because that is yet to be their target market.

Again I would say, making money and saving money is quite different and people do not spend their hard earned money by closing eye. Ask your marketing department and they would be able to explain you better
Reply

Yes, I absolutely think that people make knee-jerk decisions when they purchase things based on branding, visual appearance, the fact that their friend "has one", etc. If you don't think this is true I think you should talk to some marketing people about how that works.

Being able to do SSH is great (I can do that with Android or WinMo too), but that is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, our people that run our email and scheduling systems won't support iPhone because it can't support policy enforcement through Exchange. I can also customize the entire OS and UI of the phone to meet my needs. We have people whose phones look and function COMPLETELY differently depending on what they're using them for and are running the same OS.

The iPhone SDK is nowhere close to having the kinds of tools available that allow me to develop business apps quickly. WinMo, .NET CF, and Linux have so many more useful development tools and built-in functionality to exploit available out-of-the box than iPhone that the only real reason you'd use iPhone for business applications is because you have a lot of employees that already own one.

I was at a meeting at a restaurant last week with a colleague and someone from outside the company who had an iPhone. I had my Touch Pro 2 with me (which can dual-boot WinMo and Android...yes, dual-boot). Both parties needed to access resources that weren't on-hand. I switched on the wifi router on my phone, allowing all three of us instant access to my fast HDSPA connection. My colleague and I opened remote desktop on our laptops (I was using a lowly netbook) and had full access to our high-end workstations at the office and our entire office network from the restaurant in seconds. The guy with the iPhone showed us some kind of motorcycle game. We were very impressed.

WinMo is dead? This just goes to show how out of touch you are with the way businesses use mobile devices. Your comment about "could not do anything significant" enforces that and goes to show that you haven't seen a WinMo device in years. Android is very young, but not that much younger than iPhone, and has the advantage of being completely reconfigurable...I mean, you can completely customize and rebuild the ROM/OS it runs on with a little know-how and minimal effort (in development team terms).

I'm still waiting for a good argument against using folders. The fact that you can come up with two situations in which an index is a better alternative to folders doesn't refute the fact that a folder hierarchy is better in a million other situations. Again, you're thinking like an end-user rather than an engineer.

I don't see why you think my comment about Apple's multimedia tools in contradictory. I never said that Apple's products were bad, although I don't doubt that a REALLY devoted Apple fan would hear "in many cases there are reasons to go with other products besides Apple's" would hear, "Apple sucks!" My entire post was in response to the "there's no reason to buy anything but Apple products" tone of your comment. I will say that Apple designs most of their consumer products to force you into proprietary technology, push you into spending money in their online stores (App Store and iTunes, specifically), and generally make more money off of you after the initial purchase. However, the main point I was making is that there are better (and almost always cheaper) alternatives to Apple's products in a lot of situations. The fact that iPhone is a great fit for what you use your phone for doesn't change that. iPhone is a great product...my mother has one. It's just not for me. Power users aren't Apple's primary demographic at the moment, and that's fine. Reply

The one thing that Apple still has me on is the casing. I love the feel of the device, the size, weight, and glass.

But, like you said, the lack of functionality might move me back to Windows or Android. The funny thing with the Pad is that with all the screen real estate it still only has a 4 column springboard. What a waste.

That, and the fact that there is no flash player for the browser. Wasn't the "internet in your hand" one of, if not THE, big selling points? What good is a self-claimed internet device, that doesn't deliver the full internet? That is censorship at its worst. Reply

But this isn't really a tablet, or a PC. It's just a more functional eBook reader, which the lowest model is still over-priced at $499, though on initial release, I'd say it is much less expensive than I would have thought Apple to price it at. Still the lowest version value should be ~$250 and the upper (64GB version) should be $499. The 3G should be in all devices at no additional cost - the service fees were fine and reasonable, however AT&Ts network should be better.

As for the device, Apple should have built in some rubber hand grips. Reply

Hmmm... Anything not to complain about? First off, you must be smoking one of those funny cigarettes. You know, the ones with crack in them? The price range that you mentioned is ridiculous. The MSRP for current generation iPod Touches are as follows: 32GB for $299, 64GB for $399. The iPad destroys these in every way except for amount of flash memory. At your proposed price points, the iPad encroaches upon the iPod Touch and becomes its direct competitor. Making a direct competitor of yourself is just not good business. As far as the extra charge for the 3G radio, of course it is going to cost more to put more silicon/radios/antennas in the device. To believe otherwise is simply childish and shows one's naïveté. If you want a lower price point, you'd be looking at a subsidy and that locks you into a contract with one of the telcos. And yes, AT&T does have lousy 3G coverage/penetration/reliability (I live 30 minutes outside of a 3G zone), but for heaven's sake, just try to look at the world in a more positive light, people will like you more.

In other news, flamebaiters rile up blog readers into refuting false logic. Full story at 10. Reply

"Anything not to complain about?"
Yes, the casing's form-factor is good. Though, still thicker (.5") and heavier than I'd like, it's a move to almost a perfect size. On the other hand, I think the screen should almost meet the dimensions of the case. Other than that, they kind of blundered on what could be an excellent product - it's just another iPhone/iPod with a bigger screen, the hardware isn't much better.
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"The price range that you mentioned is ridiculous. The MSRP for current generation iPod Touches are as follows: 32GB for $299, 64GB for $399."
The price that you mentioned is ridiculous. You make a good point: iPods are overpriced. Your logic is flawed if you want to base your price on something that of itself is overpriced. Especially, given the fact that it's almost the same product... and 16GB for $499, do you really think that's worth it? I'm at capacity on my 32GB phone, 16GB is not a lot of space for something that supposed to be more functional.
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"...the iPad encroaches upon the iPod Touch and becomes its direct competitor"
There are so many reasons why that should not be the case, but based on the functionality (or lack there of) of the iPad, you might be right. The only true thing as of now that sets the two products apart is the fact that the Touch is more mobile.
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"Making a direct competitor of yourself is just not good business."
Nonsense. It happens everyday - there are so many examples but I'll just list the food industry as one: eg Pepsi/Pepsi Max/Diet Pepsi - as for the computer industry, I would be upset to see Dell with only one laptop option. In this example they are different flavors of a similar product and there could be a synergistic effect that spurts larger demand.
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"of course it is going to cost more to put more silicon/radios/antennas in the device"
Yeah, except for the fact that less silicon is being used. The fact that they're producing the processors in-house probably makes it a little cheaper too. As for your antennas/radios comment...that's absurd. You must be smoking something if you really think that costs a lot. There are only three things that would be driving the cost of the iPad: 1) the screen - nice touch sensitive screens are $$. 2) The SSD - only because the costs are still high. 3) Research & Development. Other than that, it's all aethetic value, which I'm sure when all is factored together, they could sell the upper model at $499 and still make a pretty profit.
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"If you want a lower price point, you'd be looking at a subsidy and that locks you into a contract with one of the telcos."
Seriously? Is that what happens to you? You do realize that telecoms provide a service and not the product. When I buy my computer I don't look for a better deal by signing a contract with Verizon or Comcast.
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"just try to look at the world in a more positive light, people will like you more."
I think people would like you more if you had a higher IQ. You have got to start having an idealistic view on how things should be and not how they are, otherwise the products that we'll be fed will be crap for some time to come. I don't buy crappy products just because they are on the market. I expect more if I'm going to spend my hard-earned dollars. Maybe that's how you should be thinking. Stop thinking that products/services are just $$, instead put them into terms of work. Think about how many hours you'd have to work, or what projects you'd have to complete to make the $$ for that. I put lots of time and energy into what I do and I consider my time spent important.
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Figures that should be:
iPod Touch - $99 (or do away with it and only sell service-free phones)
iPhone - $99 + service (minimum starting size 99GB)
iPad - $199-$699, this ranges the iPad as it is now compared to a fully-functional PC

Right. I'm not trying to down the product, per say, but am trying to say that it's not leading up to potential.

For pricing, I agree with the fact that Apple has high margins. I also feel their hardware meets a certain high quality standard. Regarding the make/casing, there's nothing that appears "cheap" when it comes to any of their products. The cases are in tact, the plastics and glass are strong and durable.

My big concern with the pricing is that the product is essentially the same as an iPhone/iPod Touch. The OS is using the same framework and aside from it being triple the width and double the height, the casing/screen is the same. The only difference is probably the internal processor (and larger battery?). Mind you, what spurted the price argument for me was the fact that Apple had made a big deal about it in the first place. If you're going to make a selling point out of something, it's going to be put under scrutiny. If they had marked it off at $1K, I wouldn't have made a big deal about how much the iPad is similar to an iPhone and therefore should cost less, instead I would have just written it off as another overpriced Apple product.

I would think for such a new product that there would be a little more distinction to take advantage of the larger factor. For instance, even the home screen only has a 4 column springboard - there's so much wasted space. Reply

But it doesn't destroy the iPod touch in every way. The reason I want an iPod touch is music in my pocket (or any other MP3 player). The iPad does NOT offer this in any way. The only solution is too buy an iPad + an MP3 player, so I now have two devices again. The power of the iPhone/touch was that they gave you the internet and the apps in a pocket sized form factor.

Personally, for the same price, and general size, as an iPad I can buy an Acer 1810T, have close to the same battery life, gain a keyboard, HDMI out, etc etc. Combined with my Touch, I can now do everything an iPad / MP3 player can do, I just am able to do almost all of it better, the exception possibly being e-reading. But, my Kindle does e-reading, and uses e-ink, so the iPad has no chance on winning the reason people use Kindle's, readability. Reply

But it doesn't destroy the iPod touch in every way. The reason I want an iPod touch is music in my pocket (or any other MP3 player). The iPad does NOT offer this in any way. The only solution is too buy an iPad + an MP3 player, so I now have two devices again. The power of the iPhone/touch was that they gave you the internet and the apps in a pocket sized form factor.

Personally, for the same price, and general size, as an iPad I can buy an Acer 1810T, have close to the same battery life, gain a keyboard, HDMI out, etc etc. Combined with my Touch, I can now do everything an iPad / MP3 player can do, I just am able to do almost all of it better, the exception possibly being e-reading. But, my Kindle does e-reading, and uses e-ink, so the iPad has no chance on winning the reason people use Kindle's, readability. Reply

You should shut your lame mouth. How old are you ? 12 ? Atech is not a clueless blog you idiot. iPad is not a re badge. Atom based net books all face trouble: "Try running Win7" on it and fire up photo shop let see you productivity. These days I have stopped reading blog comments because there seem to be lots of child out there who does not read the article and even after reading the article they do not undersatnd what is being said ..so they just be lame as usual. Reply

""Try running Win7" on it and fire up photo shop let see you productivity." - this is a totally inappropriate example - it's like saying that a crap car can't win the Le Mans - it wasn't built for that so ofc it will not be able to take it - why don't you try and render graphics (Maya/3DSMax) and so on and ofc it will run like crap ---> it's a NETbook - it's not a desktop computer and if u expect it to perform as one it will fail miserably

the main thing for me against ever getting an iPad is the lack of multitasking - that's an absolute deal breaker for me without exception - it's 2010 and no multitasking? no tnx ....

it's 2010 and no multitasking? no tnx .... that is either a lie or ignorance. Do you own a iphone ? iPhone can do multitasking for native application (Listen to music, read email) and you can add multitasking for any app if you use "backgrounder" app from Cydia. You can try it , if you actually own a iPhone. Reply

Its milking time for Apple to milk its fan-boys! No matter how much the IPAD sucks by having SOOO many limitations, fan-boys will still buy into the IPAD hype! By the truck load. It can't do lots of basic things that a Netbook can do, so there is no point for me to get one just because of its look. 1st Gen is always for milking! People wake up! Wait for the next Gen for better processor, RAM,camera, etc.

Besides better hardware, another thing to get me to join in and get milked is when Apple makes its product 'Multitask-able', so I am really looking forward for the next update on the software side to enable multitask.

Ya, ok, ok, I am an Apple Fan-boy who absolutely hated Iphone and Ipad for not able to do Multitasking natively..I mean without having to jailbreak it. Now I said it!! And I am so disappointed when I first hear about the spec of the IPAD, I mean..its just an over-sized IPOD!! Come on people!! But hey, its the first gen, so its just here to milk, and the real IPAD will come a year or two later. Reply

A, I am unsure of the name. The first thing that came to me was that it is VERY close to iPod… and is that a good idea to create a product that sounds very similar to such a masterpiece as the iPod? I am not sure.Use<a href="http://www.dvdipad.org">dvd to ipad converter</a></a> to put your favorite dvd collection to ipad MP4Reply